


Crossing the Lines

by FebruaryFlowerss



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, First Meetings, Meant To Be, New York City, Original Character(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29469684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FebruaryFlowerss/pseuds/FebruaryFlowerss
Summary: Mark decided to stay in New York after his visit to Seattle at the beginning of the season 3 because… he felt like he was completely unwelcome there… In the other hand, Lexie wanted to get away from both Boston and Seattle, in need for the fresh start. So she chose to try her luck in one of the best hospitals in New York City. Well, you can guess who works there…
Relationships: Lexie Grey/Mark Sloan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Starting another Slexie AU because I just can't help it. It begins around season 3/season 4...
> 
> I'm not a native English speaker, so my grammar and spelling may not always be correct, I try my best...
> 
> Disclaimer - All characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners... except for a few original characters...

Mark Sloan slowly opened his eyes at the buzzing sound of an alarm at his phone. He was laying down on his stomach, naked. Reaching towards the pocket of a black leather jacket that was on the floor to turn the alarm off with his right hand, he rubbed his eyes with his left one. After blinking a few times, he checked the time on his phone. It was 6:00 am. The sun was trying to force its way through the closed curtains, making the room half-dimmed.

Sighing loudly, he pulled off the covers, got out of the bed and started looking around for his clothes as quietly and quickly as possible. The first thing he spotted was his black briefs right next to the bed. The rest of his clothes were not far away. Picking it all up in a few quick moves, he took a several steps away from the bed and started putting his clothes on, trying not to make too much noise.

He didn’t want to disturb a sleeping form of a woman that was still motionlessly lying down on the bed. Grateful that his alarm wasn’t loud enough to wake her, Mark made his way to the bathroom.

Even if she did wake up, it isn’t like he wouldn’t know what to say to her or anything, in fact, he had multiple different stories for a lot of different situations just like this one. And all of his stories were already proven to be a good enough excuse for him, and clear statement for every woman, that he doesn’t want to see her or hear from her ever again. He just more preferred when he didn’t have to use one of his stories and just sneak out before they even got a chance to ask him anything. That way is easier for the both of them.

To be honest, he wasn’t even sure what was the name of this one. She told him, after he had approached her last night at the bar, but… a few drinks that he had apparently done their work very well. And like he assumed, besides buying her a drink, it didn’t take him more than a few small, filthy compliments before she invited him to her place. Mark also preferred when his one-night stands didn’t take place at his apartment. Simply because some of them pretended they didn’t know it was just a one-time thing and when that was the case, he needed to be rude and in a not so polite way throw them out of his apartment. There is no need for that, when he could just make his way out unnoticed.

Relieved that she still didn’t make any signs of waking up, he looked around the room to check if he picked up all of his stuff, quickly putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He could feel his phone, keys of his apartment, keys of his car, wallet… yep that would be it.

All dressed up and ready to go, without even bothering to take one last look at the woman who was still sleeping, he exited her apartment. Why would he wanted to look at her for the last time?... He couldn’t even remember her name and in a couple of days he will probably forget her appearance as well.

Mark honestly couldn’t remember when it was the last time that sleeping with someone actually meant something to him. Like… for real. In the way to make him feel like he wanted to remember her or see her again. In the way to make him feel like he wanted to have her again. Because of her, not because of sex.

But that’s how he liked it. No strings attached. It was easier that way. Being totally uncommitted, without any sense of obligation, always having space to avoid possible issues, concerns, and misunderstandings that can arise in a more serious relationship.

It’s not like he never tried to be in a serious relationship. Because he did, a couple of times for that matter. But he figured that he wasn’t really good at it. Not at the part with real emotions and commitments, at least. And he definitely wasn’t the kind of guy who would keep doing something he wasn’t good at. The only thing that remained from his failed attempts was a very hard lesson that the more people you let be an important part of your life, the more people can just walk out on you. Or take something from you. Without warning and without reason. Plus on top of all that, he never actually felt like he was loved back. There were women who claimed that, but he never felt it, never saw it, never really believed in it. He simply wasn’t the kind of man who someone would want to love...

After Mark had stepped into the teeming traffic of New York he looked around a little bit, figuring that he was in the Midtown Manhattan. The morning air was cold, fresh and relaxing, exactly what he needed to properly wake up, but it was too far from his apartment to take a walk back. Taking one deep breath and letting cold air to completely fill up his lungs, Mark moved a little closer to the main street and lifted his right hand above his head. Just a few seconds later yellow cab stopped right in front of him.

A moment after he had entered a cab, he took his phone out of a jacket pocket and checked if there are maybe some important calls, messages or emails, but not this time. He had tried to call Derek last night before he went to the bar, but gave up after Derek clearly ignored his calls. Not that he was surprised. They were on a really thick ice. Kind of thick ice where Derek didn’t hate him, but didn’t want them to be close as before either. And that was satisfying enough for now. Mark wasn’t really in a position to ask for more than that. If Derek needed time, he will give him time. If Derek didn’t want him in Seattle, he will stay in New York. Things would work out eventually. Hopefully.

Putting a phone back into the pocket, he forced his mind to wash away thoughts of their almost ruined lifelong friendship and think about something else. The day ahead of him, for example. He needed to be at the hospital at 8 am, but before that, he had to get back to his place, take a shower, change his clothes, get some coffee, maybe get something to eat. Every surgery for that day was a simple routine procedure, so it wasn't supposed to be a rough day.

Then he remembered… and instantly rolled his eyes in annoyance as his head fell back against the seat. In a few days, four days to be specific, a new bunch of annoying, unbearable, lousy interns will come to the hospital. God, he hated interns so much. And on Monday morning the hell will start all over again. Every year same story… no, screw that, every year worse story. Yeah, he could with certainty say that every intern group gets even more intolerable how the years go by.

Thank God he had a big authority in a hospital, so he could minimize working with them as much as possible. He wasn’t only an attending, but a head of plastics department and a world-class ENT specialist as well. People respected him and admired him. And he had far more important business at the hospital than babysitting some newbies and taking responsibility for careless mistakes they make. Some of them were even stupid enough to forget what coffee he told them to buy. He assumed, though, sometimes when that happened, they did it on purpose. It wasn’t a secret that Mark Sloan isn’t the most pleasurable person to work with. To work _for_ actually. And every time when he would feel like some intern didn’t respect him in the proper way, the way he should be respected, he knew exactly how to make their lives completely miserable. Without feeling bad. At all. Not in the slightest…

…

She anxiously stood in front of her new apartment for a while, simply not being able to step inside. With one hand, she was firmly holding onto a big navy blue suitcase while in the other one was a smaller travel bag in the same color. Lexie Grey had planned her moving to New York as carefully as she possibly could. She had searched the Internet for the best places she could live with her average budget, in detail analyzed every single one of them, even made an “in favor and against” list for every possible choice… and end up picking this beige building in the middle of a Brooklyn, that was now in front of her. Her new home. And at that particular moment, that didn’t sound really truthful in her head. Even if it was the best choice, it still felt cold and unfamiliar. And really, really far from home.

And honestly, the fact that she was supposed to live there completely by herself, scared the shit out of her. In the worst-case scenario, she expected a serial killer to break into her apartment and murder her on the first night, take all of her stuff and throw her body in the nearest container. Best case scenario… well, she couldn’t imagine the one that could actually happen.

Last couple of months of her life have been… well… not good. Not good at all. Awful. Let just say that lately, the number of close and trustworthy people that she had in her life was extremely decreasing. Her mom – dead. Unexpectedly, she didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. Her dad – an alcoholic since mom died. He is still her dad, and she still cared about him, maybe more than ever. But it wasn’t the same. Her sister – moved away a year ago and even though they still talk about everything, it’s not easy being so close with someone who is miles and miles away. Lexie also found out that she has another sister, a half-sister, but she never met her. She only knew her name and that she’s living in Seattle. Next, on her list of people that she used to be close to, was her ex-boyfriend Luke. They were together for almost two years, that was her longest relationship, but long story short, he felt “neglected” and “left behind” after her mom died. And the moment she felt like she was back on track he said those famous words “I can’t do this anymore.” and that was it. And after everything that happened... Lexie just didn’t feel like she was allowed to ask him to stay. But it did hurt her that he didn’t fight for them either… And in the end, a few close friends she had in med school also moved to different cities to start their own career. So… she was pretty much alone…

And she felt terribly homesick…

Yeah, moving to another city is an adventure, a new beginning, a chance to build the life she has always wanted for herself. Yet, it involved dividing from everything she was familiar with…

After moving into the apartment, she was supposed to pick up her car that she shipped via some professional auto-transporter. Yeah, Lexie had done a lot of crazy and stupid things in her life, but driving alone across the US is never going to be one of them.

So besides that, she had the next three days completely free. Three days before the circus starts. Three days that needed to be spent smartly, and that meant not sitting in the room nervously waiting for the _big day_ to come because that would be too depressing, but maybe… exploring New York, maybe finding some nice places to eat, to have fun (let’s just pretend she will have time for fun), to shop… She just needed to find a way to make New York seem not so cold, distant and unknown.

She needed to find a way to feel happy here. To feel like she belongs. It wasn’t much. But it was a plan. Kind of. And she always felt better with a plan. Also the coping with moving supposed to be easier when things really go according to plan. She read something like that… when she googled _how to deal with moving alone across the country…_

 _Why the hell I’m still just standing here?..._ she mumbled to herself, shook her head and finally step inside the building. As she knocked on the door of her new home, apartment number 17, on the sixth floor, her anxiety and homesickness kicked in. A woman from the moving agency supposed to wait for her, welcome her inside and give her the keys of the apartment. Her apartment. In freaking New York City. Her new home…

Moving by herself in the unfamiliar city on the other side of the US and living all by herself will definitely make a top of her long “dumbest ideas ever” list… And the idea of turning around and leaving, came up in her mind more than once. A lot more than once. But the worst thing of all and at the same time the main reason why she hasn’t actually left, was the fact that she didn’t know where else to go.

The door finally opened and a woman with long, curly blonde hair and hazel eyes smiled politely at her. “Hi, you’re Alexandra, right?” Blonde woman smiled even wider as she held her hand forward.

“Lexie.“ she corrected, shook the woman’s hand and step inside pulling her suitcase after her.

“Come in. It’s not much, but it’s really cozy and warm. And full of light. I think it’s perfect for an ambitious, young woman like you. You moved here because of a work, if I’m not mistaken?“

“Yes, I’m starting a surgical internship in a few days.“ Lexie answered in a shaky voice, as her eyes wandered over the living room she just entered. The apartment was, indeed, really nice, it looked even better than those pictures she scanned online... Maybe her whole _moving for a fresh start_ thing wasn’t so bad.

“Well, I wish you all the best luck.“

“Thanks...“ _I’ll need it,_ Lexie thought to herself.

…

Eating by themselves in a small diner is probably not how other twenty-four-year-old people spend a Saturday night. All thought, Lexie pretty much liked it. It wasn’t too noisy or crowded. She could definitely see herself coming here very often. Plus, they served her some really awesome cheeseburger and even better French fries. She was pretty scared of what the future could bring, but she was less scared with a cheeseburger in her hands.

20 minutes ago, before she even entered that place, she briefly had wondered if she could really face sitting there alone. She never in her life felt that kind of alone. Like… in every possible way. So sitting alone, even in a random diner, would probably make her feel even worse. But she realized she wasn’t the only one who would sit solo in a diner, so that relaxed her a little bit. It actually took her by surprise how careless people seemed, how confident...

Two days passed since she moved to NY, two bland, motionless days, and yet, she still didn’t fully unpack. She didn’t even start. Complete unpacking would just mean one thing she still wasn’t ready to accept. Complete unpacking would make her moving to NY official. And Lexie wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

Her open suitcase was waiting for her on a floor next to the closet. Just a few things she did take from it were a change of clothes, short sleeve pajamas, toothbrush, towel and her “just in case” sleeping pills.

After her mom died, she couldn’t sleep for days. There were just a lot of things going on and since her dad was no near state to take care of them, she had to. And even when she tried to take some rest, her mind simply wouldn’t have let her. But she was studying to be a doctor after all, and that made her be enough respectful to herself... to go and talk to the psychiatrist about her problem. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, and after a few weeks, her sleep schedule was normal again. But still, from time to time, she finds herself not able to fall asleep. Even if she was super tired. Even if she had tried relaxing, deep breathing, refusing to open her eyes, everything she learned during the sessions... And apparently, she had been told that was normal as well, if the day before was too overwhelming or too stressful, and that’s what the pills were for.

Sleepless nights haven’t happened in a while. But with everything that was going on, with her decision to exchange her comfort zone for the unknown, she couldn’t say that she didn’t expect them…

Hearing the ring of her phone, she quickly wiped off her hand with a napkin and reached into the pocket of her coat, pulling out the phone. Reading her sister’s name on the screen, she briefly wondered if she wanted to answer her. Molly probably wanted to ask her about every single moment that happened in the last two days, and there wasn’t really anything that Lexie had to say. But still, she craved to hear something familiar.

“Heyyy.” she greeted her sister, trying to sound as calm and normal as she possibly could.

“Hey Lexie, I’m so sorry I didn’t call earlier. Last couple days had been just ughh… Don’t even get me started. I had a million things to take care of and… I’m so sorry. How are you? Did you move in? Is everything fine?”

Lexie smiled as she heard her sister’s voice. Both of them had that rambling habit. The next moment she wanted to cry. God, she missed her old life so badly…

“Yeah, everything’s fine. The apartment is nice. It’s not too big, but really cozy, I like it. And I also picked up a car yesterday...“ She paused for a second not knowing what to say next because… nothing really happened since she got there. “...And my first shift is in two days, so now I’m just... _waiting_. It’s kind of depressing. Ohhh and my greatest achievement in New York for now, is finding this great diner where I am now. It’s only like a 5 minutes ride from the apartment.” she added with a half-grin.

“Wow that’s definitely something.”

“And my second best achievement… ordering this amazing burger and even more amazing French fries I just ate. So yeah, that’s pretty much it.“ Lexie pointed out sarcastically.

“Have you heard from dad?” Molly asked with a suddenly concerned voice.

“Yes, I have. He called me the night after I moved in. And it was kind of great actually. He sounded good… and we talked. Like… really _talked._ I think… I think he’s doing better now.” she stated hopefully. She didn’t like to talk about how her dad was dealing with her mom dying. Drowning his sorrows away. It was wrong in every possible way, especially for her and for Molly, but after she deeply had thought about it... She couldn’t even imagine how losing “that person“ felt like.

“I hope so... He’s gonna be fine Lexie. And you’re gonna be fine. And your job is gonna be great. I know it. Just… give it some time. Don’t worry about it… What you could worry about is maybe meeting someone… “ Molly added suggestively.

“Molly…” Lexie stopped her right there, rolling her eyes.

“What? I said _maybe._ And it’s freaking New York. Full of New York men. Hot, handsome, gorgeous New York men.” she said in a deep seductive voice. “You worked really hard to get there. Now you can let yourself enjoy a little as well. You deserve that. And I’m telling you, it’s only a matter of time before someone catches your eye.”

“I worked really hard? The _real thing_ hasn’t even started yet, I’m already freaking out, I have no idea what to expect and…” Lexie gulped hard and stopped rambling. It wasn’t the time or place for her to weep over her own decisions. She chose to be there, to do that for herself. She wanted that fresh start. There was no room for doubt or regret. “You know what? It’s getting late, and I have to go back to the apartment. I still need to… unpack. I’ll call you soon, okay?”

Taking in a deep breath, she tried to get the idea of actually meeting someone out of her head. She did feel a little lonely... okay, really, really lonely, but she made up her mind that she didn’t need any kind of romance for now. Nothing serious at least. She giggled at her own thought. Like she knew how to be with someone in a non-serious way. She never did, she never will. She was simply kind of a lover that too easily gets attached to somebody. And that was the part of her that she hated, but was proud of, as well.

“Okay… But I’m telling you again. It’s going to be fine. Just promise you’ll let me know me when that happens.” Molly chuckled.

“When what happens?” Lexie asked confused, after Molly’s words bring her back down to Earth.

“When someone catches your eye.” her sister laughed.

“Oh God, this call’s ending _now_ … bye.”

It was enough talking and thinking about New York men for one night.

When Lexie got out of the diner her body shivered in the cold, evening air. It really was pretty late. Thankfully, she parked her car in the previous street, so she didn’t have to walk longer than a minute. After stepping in, she put the seatbelt on, turned on the heat and the radio as well. She started the car, but stayed in the place for almost a minute as she tried to find the radio station that she likes, but wasn’t really successful at it. The song was either boring, either depressing, either bringing distant memories… At the end, Lexie just gave up, letting out an annoyed groan and finally started moving forward, before her eyes even hit the road in front of her.

Every worry, every doubt, every thought that was on her mind got erased for a second, for a second of complete shock, that came up like a bolt from the blue... her right leg as hard and quickly as possible hit the brake to stop the car from moving forward, so she could prevent hitting the man who just step out onto the road right in front of her. The car stopped, tires making a loud, unpleasant, creaking sound. Her whole body jolted at the sudden break, her eyes fell closed in shock, and she could swear that her heart had stopped beating for a couple of seconds. _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God... Where the hell did he come from?_

Lexie didn’t dare to open her eyes or to move at all. Her hands were firmly holding onto a wheel like she expected a car to start moving again without her permission. Even if it was only a couple of seconds, she felt like she was sitting there, like that, for days.

As her breaths started to normalize she slowly opened her eyes, not ready to deal with the consequences. The man was still there, right in front of her, standing… that was important… _that means I didn’t actually hit him, right?_

For a second, she thought about getting out of the car to apologize or say something, anything, but her body refused to move. Like every part of her body went on pause while her mind tried to catch up. She just stared at him through the windshield in horrified disbelief and tried to read the look on his face. He was clearly shocked as much as she was, but did he really expect from her to get out and apologize... because he was obviously staring back at her. _Of course he’s staring back Lexie, you almost ran him over… He’s probably guessing which loony bin you escaped from…_

 _What if I somehow did hit him? What if he needs to see a doctor? Maybe he’s hurt... I should get out and check..._ But before her hand could reach the door handle, he looked her right in the eyes, quickly nodded in understanding, fixed the sleeves of his leather jacket, gave her a slight but very charming smile and just walked away _._ Just like that.

Lexie was bluntly watching after him as long as she could before he finally disappeared around the corner. Her body fell back in the seat as she deeply inhaled, still in shock, whispering to herself, “You’re in a city for 48 hours, and you managed to almost kill someone. Well done, Lexie. Well done.”

Well… that would be her new greatest achievement in New York. She turned her head again in the direction that he left just making sure he was really gone. Her body relaxed a little bit.

After this, moving to New York suddenly felt more real. But surprisingly, not completely in a bad way. Ignoring the fact that just a few inches were separating her from ending up in the police station.

It felt kind of exciting. In the strange way... The way that made her believe that she should really expect a lot from this city. That she should expect a lot of unexpected things, if that made any sense.

Because that’s the thing she was afraid the most when it came to moving to NY… losing the sense for the security and predictability, and everything familiar.

She slightly smiled to herself, her hands finding her face and rubbing it for a few seconds as an attempt to return her to reality.

Lexie shook her head, in a desperate attempt to clear her mind. Starting the car again, she took a very good look at the road in front of her this time, and headed back to the apartment. She had a lot of unpacking to do. It was time to finally make it official. In every way. There she was, in New York City, about to start a really exciting, new chapter of her life. There was no point in hiding or running away from that. It was happening.

The last couple of mouths… sucked. And she needed to deal with the fact that nothing is going to be like before.

Thoughts of that man popped back into her head. At the end, he seemed like he didn’t mind it. _I mean it’s not like I tried to run him over on purpose, and he obviously didn’t look left and right to check if someone is coming before he stepped onto the road, so it was partly his fault as well. Wow Lexie, now you’re blaming the man you almost hit with your car..._

Still, she felt guilty and ashamed because she didn’t find the courage at the moment to approach him and apologize properly. She should have done that. And just like that, she sensed a night of tearing herself up because of her guilty conscience coming. Because of the man she didn’t even know, who probably already forgot that their little encounter ever happened.

Well, _he_ maybe already forgot, but there is no way that she could forget about this any time soon. She could literally play the whole scene in her head again. Including every small detail. His blue eyes or black leather jacket or short beard or the intense way he looked at her... She could play it again and again and again, how many times she wanted. Or actually, how many times her mind would force her to.

Perks (not really in this situation) of having a photographic memory. So forgetting wasn’t even an option for her. She always had to find some other way to deal with a situations or things she wanted to forget. To direct her thoughts to something else, to never think about it again, to pretend like every black leather jacket from now on won’t remind her how she almost hit a man with her car on her second day in New York… Never had luck with that kind of methods either. Everything usually stays burned in her brain forever. That only meant that the best thing she could do, for herself and her clear conscience, was praying that she’ll never see him again.


	2. Chapter 2

Lexie gave herself a minute to just… stand there and take a good look at the hospital. She has planned to spend the next seven years of her life there. Seven years. A lot of things could happen in seven years.

The hospital looked so big and beautiful and… scary. Really, really scary. She could feel her stomach churning from just thinking about what’s waiting for her inside.

The white building was large and mostly covered in windows. Lexie caught herself thinking… was this hospital really the best choice. She graduated from Harvard on top of her class and had great letters of recommendation, which meant that she would literally be accepted on whatever program she wanted. People thought of that like an advantage, but really… that was just making room for bigger mistakes.

The hospital was one of the best in New York City, maybe even the best… but also probably the one in which will be the hardest to make it through. Maybe indeed was the wrong choice.

Coming a few minutes earlier was on purpose. She knew herself well enough to be sure that there is no way that she could go through that door the second she saw it. That would be too… terrifying. And she wasn’t great at dealing with things she would find terrifying. She needed that minute before. Well to be honest, she needed a lot more than a minute. But the minute was all she had. Let’s be honest, who isn’t scared of the unknown?

New people, new surroundings, thoughts about other interns and residents and attendings and… _What is the worst thing that could happen? Well, you could kill someone, for example. That would be pretty bad, especially on the first day. Do interns could be like... thrown out on the first day? In a case I really do kill someone... I could kill a whole bunch of people, in fact. No. Stop. You’re not going to kill anyone. Hopefully... No, definitely. Just calm down. Breath… Remember to breath..._

Lexie deeply sighed and looked at her reflection in the mirror of the car to check again if her high ponytail was in place, and then _finally_ started walking to the main entrance of the hospital, trying her best to look calm and confident... First impressions always matter, as she has been told. First impressions are important.

She was in full stride, heading towards the hospital, when she crushed into someone.

Losing her balance for a moment, she caught the sight of coffee cup that flew up into the air before crashing and pouring down on the ground.

“Damn it!”

Lexie heard a husky voice as she tried to regain her composure and come to her senses. _Oh God, she had to stop doing this…_

“Why don't you watch where you're going?" he yelled in shock. Then he looked at her face. “You.“ 

“Sorry?“

In that moment, she just prayed for the earth to open up and shallow her.

“You almost ran me over two days ago.“ he bluntly announced, straight to the point without a second of hesitating, speaking loud and clear, with his eyes still fixed on her.

Although, he didn’t have to say that. She very well recognized him. It was _him_. She clearly remembered his face. And his black leather jacket. But she just couldn’t believe it. How was this possible? _How the hell was this possible?_

Lexie could feel her cheeks starting to blush as she stared at him with a half-open mouth still not knowing what to say. For a second, she forgot about the hospital, and first-day anxiety, and every other terrifying thing…

“Oh God! I’m so sorry about that. And about this. And about your coffee. And everything.” Lexie rambled, gazing at the spilled coffee on the ground.

Mark Sloan couldn’t help but grin at the sight of her cheeks getting redder and redder. It wasn’t the first time that he was the cause of that kind of reaction from a woman, but definitely never under this kind of circumstances. Still, he didn’t say anything, letting her finish. Not even caring anymore about his ruined coffee.

“I’m really sorry.“ But despite the dangerous panic levels filling in her brain, she had to switch gears and concentrate on the actual destination that she headed. The hospital… first day… _you can’t be late on your first day._ “And I really, really have to go now. I’m sorry… about everything.” With those words, she turned around and walked away as fast as she could. Mark could only shake his head, grinning after her.

Two days ago, while he was on his way back from the bar, alone this time, the car that seemed parked at the moment, suddenly started moving towards him and luckily stopped at the less than a few inches before it had hit him. After taking a few seconds to figure out what the hell just happened, he saw a woman behind the wheel who looked a lot more shocked he was. Because of the terrified grimace her face made, he could tell that she was completely lost in disbelief.

The next moment he thought about approaching her. Checking if she’s okay, making sure that she didn’t somehow end up hurt, maybe was something wrong with her car, or maybe… it didn’t take long until his worry turned into a lust. It wasn’t exactly an encounter with a woman in a way that he used to, but… he didn’t get lucky with a finding a good enough match for tonight. And what he could see through the windshield was definitely good enough. _A lot more than good enough._ Silky brunette hair, big brown eyes, coral lips. Undoubtedly younger. He just needed to relax her a bit. Tell her it’s not a big deal.

There was his chance... He could easily have her. Women always go for… _Are you okay?, Is there something I can do?, Please don’t blame yourself._ One of those, and she’s already on her way with him to his apartment. Maybe even right there in her car, if he put a little more effort and accuracy into what he wanted. He could have her. Unquestionably.

But he didn’t do anything. He just… couldn’t bring himself to. Why? There was no reasonable explanation. Not for him. The moment her face slightly cleared from shock, he saw her looking right at him. Something on her face made him smile. Some kind of embarrassment maybe, or guilt, or insecurity, or shyness or… something. And that smile was all he gave her before he walked away.

It had taken him a minute before he started feeling deep regret for not approaching her. He cursed himself for missing an opportunity to have her.

…

Even with a couple of complications at the beginning, her first day… went pretty good.

And after a whole day of running through the bunch of hallways, rooms, doing everything anyone asked, just sitting in the gallery and watching a simple appendectomy was kind of relaxing.

Lexie was pretty much proud of herself. She managed to handle almost every case that came in. At least in the way that was expected of an intern. She knew the answers for every question she had been asked. It was a very good first day. But she needed it to be over soon.

“Oh God, it’s almost over.“ commented some guy, sitting down on the chair next to her. Lexie couldn’t help but smile on that. Just a few hours more. She could barely feel her legs, her eyes were closing on every possible opportunity, and there was a big headache coming on.

“Did you get lucky with something interesting today?“ he asked as he looked at her. She saw him earlier in the locker room. He was an intern too.

“No, not really... You?“

“If you count rectal examinations as interesting... My resident hates me.“ he slightly laughed as he ran his fingers through his short dark brown hair.

“Well I think my resident hates everyone.“ she told him, gesturing down to the OR.

“Dr. Gosling? I heard about her. Everybody says that she’s… well…”

“A bitch? Yeah.”

Doctor Vanessa Gosling, fourth year resident, and the first word that would anyone associate her with - bitch. Simply as that.

Rude, difficult, arrogant… She had some kind of cold hard stare that could scare you to death. Like literally. Looking at her sharp, dark eyes for more than five seconds, and you could literally feel how your organs are shutting down. That was only a warning for Lexie not to piss her off more that she naturally was.

“I saw you around, but we didn’t get the chance to actually meet. I’m Nick.“ he smiled as he extended his hand.

“Lexie. So... are you from here? From New York?“ she asked, shaking his hand.

“Yeah“ he confirmed.

“Wow that’s… great. I mean... you can go home whenever you want...“ She didn’t know where that came from. She wasn’t sure where her home was, so that she could like… go home. Her father was in Seattle, and she grew up in Seattle, and she apparently had a half-sister in Seattle. But... most of her friends were in Boston, she spent the last four years of her life in Boston and even if that wasn’t important anymore, her most recent ex was also in Boston. And her sister was all across the ocean. And she just started living in New York. So… her _home_ was totally split out.

…

A few hours later it was finally over. The first day - done. Admiring hospital from the parking lot seemed so unbelievably long ago.

After she changed her clothes, Lexie directed back to the parking lot. There were no words to explain how badly she wanted to reach her bed and just close her eyes.

Walking by one of the nurses stations on a first floor, she saw _him_ again. _What the hell?_

Except it was worse. It was a lot worse. Because he was wearing a white coat. _Why he was in the hospital? Why he was wearing a freaking white coat?_ He was also doing some charts and chatting with some nurses. _What the actual hell?_

“Hey you wanna go for a drink? There’s a bar in the next street. Most of the interns are coming...“ Nick asked as he caught up with her, interrupting her thoughts.

“After the first day? I think I’ll just go home and take some rest. Thanks… though.” she slowly answered, giving him a slight smile.

“Okay, some other time. I’ll see you tomorrow…”

“Wait. Who is that?” she asked him before he got a chance to leave, pointing towards the nurses station.

“Dr. Sloan.” he told her widening his eyes in stating the obvious. “Head of plastics.” Nick added, noticing her narrowed eyebrows in confusion.

“Head of… What? How? I haven’t seen him once in the hospital.”

The shock of seeing him in front of the hospital that morning had just worn off… finally and now… he actually worked here. That man, the man that she almost hit with her car on her second day in New York, was apparently a doctor, a surgeon, a freaking attending that worked at the same hospital, at the same freaking hospital that she chose to do her internship. Yes, this hospital was definitely the wrong choice. On top of all that, he was literally her boss. This really couldn’t get any worse.

Figuring that she started to bluntly stare at him, she shook her head, focusing on Nick’s explanation.

“He hates working with interns… He thinks he’s too good for that… if you know what I mean.” Nick said before walking away, almost in a whisper, even if it didn’t really feel like that was a secret.

The next time she looked up towards the nurses station, she saw him still talking with one of the nurses, but it seemed kind of private. Things were being whispered. Then he raised his hand and pointed. He pointed. In her direction. _He pointed at her._

Panic and shock of seeing him _again_ and horrifying discovery of _who he was_ hit her again. And her body was still overreacting. Erratic heartbeat. Fuzzy thoughts. Blushed cheeks.

Till now leaned against the station, he stood up straight. And a quiet voice from the frantic part of her mind told he was about to walk up to her.

But the next moment he was the one that someone walked up to.

“Hey Mark, wanna go for a drink?“ Dr. Gosling smiled politely. _Wow, she knows how to be polite to someone,_ Lexie thought, unconsciously rolling her eyes. _Well, everyone can be polite to a charming surgeon, right?_

“Sure, just a sec...“ Lexie overheard him, and the next second he was walking towards her. Of course he was. Why the hell she hasn’t already left? It was too late now. She had to face him. Again.

As her eyes locked with his steel blue ones the moment she looked up at him, standing now so close to her, she felt some kind of strange fluttering feeling in her stomach.

“Let me guess. Not your ideal first impression?” he asked, flashing her confident, delightful smile.

She would’ve maybe even laughed if the situation wasn’t so terribly embarrassing. And if wasn’t her boss... Their little encounter from two days supposed to be a private, careless, forgettable mistake... But no, he had to be her boss.

His mocking tone, grin written all over his face and crossed arms proved the truth Nick had told her about his self-assurance and arrogance...

“No.” she gulped. “Not at all. Dr. Sloan.” she emphasized his title in an attempt to show him that she indeed, had no idea who he was.

“Dr. Grey as I heard?” _Explains the pointing._

She just nodded, hoping he hadn’t noticed a baffled look on her face.

“What? You’re surprised?“ But he did. “Let’s just hope you’ll pay more attention in the OR than you do behind the wheel.”

Of course Mark couldn’t help but to make a joke about it.

Normally, he wouldn’t think twice before saying something even worse to humiliate a new intern, in fact, he enjoyed doing that, that was kind of a highlight of every day, but this time... something has stopped him. This time he let himself enjoy how much he clearly made her uncomfortable without even trying to.

“Again, I’m sorry about _that..._ And this morning.“ Lexie apologized again in a shaky voice, not knowing what else she could say for that matter.

“When are you coming here tomorrow?”

She stood frozen for a moment at his sudden question.

“Uhmm… 6 am.”

“Great. I’m expecting bone dry cappuccino on my desk at let’s say… 7 am. More or less… every day.” For a moment she didn’t figure what that has to do with her… but the way he said that, in a husky voice and with a big smirk at the end, it didn’t sound like the request or plea. It was an order. And how the hell she could say no?

“Acknowledged, Dr. Sloan.“ she managed to answer, biting her lip.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asked, laughing.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well you apparently had no idea where your head is. So I’m gonna be generous, and I can give you a first-day advice.” he offered, taking a small step closer to her.

“Which is… don’t ever again try to run over an attending?”

For the first time in front of him, she smiled. Even laughed.

The way he made her cheeks blush as her lips curved into triggered something in him. The picture of her from two days ago popped up in his mind. She hadn’t smiled then. But she still looked so reserved, so uncorrupted… Mark wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. It definitely wasn’t _his_ kind of thing.

“Don’t be too surprised.” he whispered, leaning slightly towards her. Thoughts about her that went through his head two days ago popped up next. Did that thoughts change? No… not really.

Smirking to himself he managed to walk away.

“Wow it’s their first day, and you’re already found an intern to torture for your cappuccino duty. And one of mine, on top of all. You know her or something?“ Dr. Gosling commented, catching up with him.

“No. She just… almost ran me over... Literally.“ Mark answered, slightly smiling, and she gave him a confused look, but without asking anything further.

“So... drink?“

…

As Lexie unlocked the door of her apartment, without enough strength to really think about everything that happened, she heard a vibration of her phone. At first, she assumed it was Molly, just checking how her first day went. If it was Molly, she would’ve ignored it.

But it wasn’t Molly. Lexie suddenly got a little weird, but kind of exciting feeling in her stomach as she read Luke’s name. She didn’t hear from him since they broke up. Or… since he broke up with her.

And she hadn’t planned on reopening contact with him at any kind. Definitely not now, when she moved across the country.

-Hey, I’m coming to NY this weekend... so if you want to catch up or something, we could go out for a drink... Just give me a call or something. I hope everything went well with your moving and new job.

“To catch up” she read that part out loud.

“Hey Luke what’s up? Well, not much, just that my dad became alcoholic, I was insomniac for some time, but maybe you knew that, I’m not sure if that started happening before or after you left me, then I moved across the country to live alone in a city I’m not familiar with, and today I found out that the guy I almost kill two days ago is my boss. Oh, and did I mention that I have a half-sister that I never know existed ? No? How could I forget that?”

It definitely sounded a lot better in her head than said out loud. 

She sat down on a sofa tightly holding a phone between her hands. She really wanted to see him, she wanted to talk to him, she wanted him to tell her how he’s doing... but she was sure that just a simple talk with him could bring all the feelings, that she spent the last few months trying to let go, come right back to her. They did end things on a good terms. Kind of. But still, they weren’t friends. It didn’t feel like that. Sure, she wanted to talk about stuff, but with a couple of… exceptions. For example, if he has found someone else, she definitely wouldn’t want to hear that. Partly because it would probably hurt and partly because… well, because she hasn’t.

-Sure, I would really like to see you.

She regretted sending it a second after she had pressed send. Every time she reread the text, it felt much worse. She should have just typed sure or okay or something that would not make her sound so lonely or clingy or depressed... Which she was, but... he didn’t need to know that. Impatiently waiting for another text from him, she tried to come up with some kind of excuse to tell him when he actually comes to New York, so she could avoid seeing him, because suddenly it sounded like a terrible idea.

-Okay, I’ll call you when I get there.

And then a moment later.

-I’d really like to see you too, Lexie.


	3. Chapter 3

Imagine that feeling when you’re expecting something so badly, so it could finally be over. That’s how Lexie felt about that Saturday evening… The evening that was again result of her non-existing _think before you speak or do_ part of personality.

She was supposed to be at the hospital at 8:00 pm that evening and stay on call till morning. That led to her asking Luke if they could meet an hour before that. That was her insurance. She couldn’t say yes if he asked her to stay a little longer even if she wanted to. With everything that was going on in her life at the moment, she had no room to risk staying a little longer with him, or taking another drink, or accepting _hey I could give you a ride home_ proposal. Because she had to go to work. Insurance… Simple as that. Her plan had to work. There was no other way.

Luke needed to go back to Boston in a couple of days, and she was determined not to let anything serious happen between them. Not _after everything._

What did surprise her, was how good it felt. Being with him. He didn’t change one bit, he still knew very well how to make her laugh and smile, and how to make her feel relaxed around him. Even _after everything._ Lexie didn’t expect that at all.

And now, about 15 minutes before she indeed needed to leave for work, she was secretly praying for some great miracle to happen, so she could stay. Just a little longer. So thank God she made up her plan in advance.

Before she even came to meet him, she had been struggling about what would be best to wear. What people usually wear for evening catch-up meetings with their exes who just happened to be in town? Something between casual and fancy? Because there’s no way that she would go completely casual… to meet her ex, who sane would do that, but then again, if she over do-it, he could get the wrong idea or something... Because they’re going just to talk and hang out, nothing more. That’s what she told, and multiple times repeated to herself.

Not too casual, not too fancy… Simple black dress should do the work. But still, it didn’t feel right. It still felt like she was overdressed. Like she was trying too hard, still knowing that nothing will happen.

But she really missed talking to him. She missed talking to someone. Someone who she knew and who knew her. For real. Without pretending, or sucking up, or apologizing for every wrong move or wrong word, or clumsiness or haste. She missed having something familiar in her life. Daily phone calls with Molly, or even with her dad, weren’t enough. Even if it was for just one or two days, being with Luke felt… kind of comforting… Having him, as the only household element in the unknown city. It was great.

Until he started leaning over towards her, his eyes drawn to her lips. _Oh God, it’s like I predicted this..._ That was exactly what she was scared of… exactly what she tried to avoid. Lexie ignored it for a couple of minutes, trying to sit still on her barstool as far as she could, and pretending she didn’t figure what he wanted to do. Trying to somehow show him that she didn’t want him to do that. Telling him a random stupid story, just to keep a conversation going. _It just going to hurt as much as it hurt a couple of months ago..._ But it didn’t work.

Luke cut her off in the middle of the sentence, pressing his lips firmly against hers. And the worst part of it was that she didn’t pull back… she didn’t even try to wiggle out of his embrace. It just felt so… familiar. She kissed him back. Like she always did. It felt nostalgic. His lips were warm and soft. And a million things went through her head. She was brought a couple of months back. She was back in Boston for a second. In a café near med school, where she used to hang out with Luke after classes. Her mom was alive for a second, she should get a call from her any minute. All the things that she used to have… were there again.

His hand that went up to caress her cheek brought her back to reality. Before she was even aware of it, Lexie opened her eyes and pulled away, heavily sighing.

She wasn’t in Boston anymore.

They stood quietly for a moment.

“I’m sorry.“ she breathed out, not daring to look at his eyes.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Some habits are just hard to break, you know..?“ he slightly smiled, biting his lower lip. Lexie felt a sick feeling in her stomach, and not because of the kiss itself, more because of the way he justified it. Like _yeah, I got a feeling that I should kiss you because I used to do that every time I see you. It’s not a big deal._ But it was. And it didn’t feel like before. She finally came to realize that.

“Well, it was your idea to break them in the first place...“

Her eyes widened as she realized that those words were meant to be just her inside voice. “Oh God, I’m sorry, that was really uncalled for. I’m sorry…“

“Lexie I hadn’t planned for this to happen. I just...“ The guilty grimace on his face made her feel guilty as well. For agreeing to meet him in a first place. For letting him kiss her. For letting herself get caught in the moment of the past.

“I know. And I... Look, I’m really glad that I got to see you. For real. And I hope that we could do it again, sometimes, just without the last part...” Lexie awkwardly exclaimed, and then added firmly, “But now I really have to go.“ She slid down her barstool and started pulling on her coat.

“No, you don’t. Lexie, come on, please don’t make so big deal out of this. You can sit for at least 15 more minutes.“ he persisted, reaching for her hand.

“No, I can’t actually, because... because I have to do something before work.“

“And I’m supposed to believe that? I know you better than that.“ he shot back immediately, stating the obvious truth.

“But it’s true. I have to...“ Lexie was staring at the floor as she tried to come up with something to say. One stupid kiss made her want to get away from him as soon as possible. As far as possible. Because it wasn’t stupid. Not for her. Even if it didn’t change anything between them, it still meant something. “I have to get some… coffee... before work. And you should stay. And I should go.”

After those words she smiled him, slightly but purely, and then walked away.

…

Mark ran out of OR after 4-hour surgery sighing loudly. He was on his feet for the last 24 hours and he couldn’t wait for this day to end. It was a bad day. A horrible one. It was one of those days when everything that could go wrong... did go wrong. He lost two patients. Two patients that he shouldn’t have lost.

One more surgery, and this day is finally over. He ran fingers through his hair trying to ignore the big headache. And in his professional opinion, there were two things that could cure a bad headache. Sex and caffeine. And since he needed to get through one more surgery very soon it had to be option number two. Unfortunately.

“Where the hell are all damn interns?“ he shouted to the first nurse he saw, who just shake her head in ignorance as he walked by her. When you don’t need them, you can see them on every step you take. And when you need them, they’re nowhere to be found. It was frustrating. Thinking about how he hated them only made his headache grow even more unbearable. Or how he hated... most of them.

He did the quick math in his head... So his surgery should start in 15 minutes that meant he had 10 minutes to find an some intern, make them run across the hospital as fast as possible, and if it isn’t too crowded in a café he should have his cappuccino in hopefully 7-8 minutes... Yeah, that would work.

“Dr. Sloan?“ Or maybe not...

No freaking way. His eyes widened in surprise, but in delight as well, as he turned around at those words to see no one else but Lexie Grey with a cup in her hand.

“What, you’re reading minds now, Grey?“ he tried not to sound too overjoyed, his gaze taking in her dress. Damn dress. A dress that was casual but stunning. A dress that allowed him a take a pretty good look at her chest... With a neckline that dipped down to accentuate the soft, smooth skin of her neck and collarbone. Unfortunately, she was looking right back at his face, so he couldn’t let his eyes fall any lower than her neck, no if he didn’t want to get caught staring. But what was bothering him even more, was the simplicity of not knowing her motive for wearing it. He knew for a fact, that when a woman puts on a dress, not always, but in most cases… there is someone flashing through her mind. Someone who she wished would tear that dress off.

“What? No... I just simply assumed you... wanted coffee… Like always.“ she explained. _And I needed a stupid excuse to run away from my horrible decision to meet and kiss my accidentally in town ex-boyfriend…_

“Good assuming.“ he replied with a smug look on his face, as he grabbed a coffee cup from her hand and took a sip, his eyes still fixed on her. “So... you went parting before your shift?“ Curiosity never happened to fail him. Not when he was just a med student desperate to become someone important, and not now, when he was a man in a position to get away with every intrigued question or thought he had.

He took one step back, giving himself a permission to quickly observe her from head to toe.

A second had passed before she figured on what he was referring, and then felt a little embarrassed as his gaze roamed over her body. Embarrassed at first, but a few moments later, she felt flattered, actually. Smiling shyly, her cheeks blushed up as she told him, “Oh no, not at all. I just... met with _someone_.“

The next sip of coffee he took tasted bitter and left really sour feeling in Mark’s mouth. He tried not to think about with whom she met. But it seemed like _the dress_ really was meant for someone. He hated how he was desperate for some affection, and she looked like she apparently just had some. Clearing his throat to make disturbing thoughts go away, he sighed.

“You can say boyfriend, Grey.“ Mark muttered under his breath, noticing how the wave of displeasure and sensitivity washed over her.

“Ex.“ she replied quickly. “Ex-boyfriend.“ then added almost inaudibly, avoiding his confused look.

“As pathetic as that is, you really did save me with this.“ He shook a cup of coffee in his hand. “So how fast can you manage to get out of that dress?“

Lexie stood rooted to the spot, her body stiffening, as her face immediately turned completely red. “To change into scrubs.“ added Mark, narrowing his eyes. _Ohhhh… Thank God he clarified that._ One more second and her thoughts would go where they weren’t supposed to.

“Five minutes.“ she answered breathlessly, but she didn’t intend to.

 _I could manage to get you out of it a lot faster_. “Okay, hurry up, I’m doing a skin graft in 10 minutes. You can scrub in.“ Lexie’s face stayed still in shock, as he added, “Can you?”

“Really?“ she smiled, her brown eyes twinkling above round flushed cheeks. “Yes… yes, I can, thank you!“ Totally overjoyed she called out after him as he started walking towards the elevator.

“Come on Grey, speed it up…“ Mark shouted back without turning around. He couldn’t bear drowning in the sight of her like that one more second.

…

_Don’t ask. It’s none of your business anyway, and you don’t care. Simply as that. So don’t ask. Just don’t. You don’t wanna know. And you don’t care. At all. So just don’t. Don’t ask..._

“So what happened with a boyfriend?“ _Screw it._

Mark asked her right after a surgery, when only the two of them were left in a scrub room, trying not to sound overly interested... because he _was not_ interested, at all, he just tried to make a nice, simple conversation _. With a miserable, pathetic intern? What the hell is happening to me? This day really isn’t my day._ He was looking at her with a corner of an eye, and when her eyes went up to look back at him, his gaze immediately fell down at the sink in which he was washing his hands. _Okay, with a miserable, pathetic, hot intern… Yeah, that sounds better. Acceptable, at least._

“Ex.“ she corrected him, but ignored his question. 

“Ex...” he repeated and waited a couple of second for her to answer… But, she didn’t. She didn’t even have intention to. He waited a few more moments, glancing over at her with his eyebrows raised in interest.

Plan B. If she didn’t want to answer, he will make her. And it’s already proven that the best way to do that was to mock her. The fact that her chubby cheeks would blush up was just a bonus. “Did he dump you for some slutty blonde or something? Is that why you are so grumpy?“

“What? Why would you even think that?“ Plan worked. She snapped immediately.

“So he did?“ Mark persisted, grinning.

“No.“ she retorted, her eyes giving him a harsh glare. It was irritating how much of a tension he was able to create, impulsively holding onto the simple topic that he figured was bothering her. But why the hell was he so insistent? Did this man ever hear of privacy? Or minding his own business? Clearly not.

“Yes, he did.“

“No, he didn’t!” Her voice was sharp and to the point, but he kept pushing back.

“But he did.” Mark snickered convincingly, like there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. And that made her even more irritated.

“I didn’t get dumped for anyone.“ she said firmly, emphasizing every word. A smirk on his face haven’t changed one bit as he just kept staring at her, clearly elated. “I didn’t!“

Lexie hated how easily his words got to her.

_Oh God, what’s the point of arguing with him? There is no way that I could win this anyway._

Mark raised his hands in mock surrender as she heightened her tone. “Wow... Grey, calm down, nobody wants you to leave this hospital angry.” He tilted his head down for a second, and in a sarcastic voice added “…you could run someone over… and not remember to hit the break this time.“

He didn’t even plan on that one, but he couldn’t help it. It was like she literally asked him to mock her. The expressions her face was making were enjoyable on a whole new level… With her teeth deep buried in her lower lip, bright red cheeks, heavy breaths that were raising her chest up and down, probably in an attempt to calm herself down. But Mark didn’t want that. He wanted to push her as far as he could.

It was one of super rare situations where Lexie actually managed to keep her mouth shut. Her filter for things that should stay just an inner monologue rarely worked. She could even say she was famous for babbling thing out when was not their place or time to be said. When she was nervous, or caught in a spot, or simply when she wasn’t able to see why would saying something be harmful. And it took her a lot... A LOT of inner strength to make that filter work this time. But some things weren’t left unnoticed.

“Did you just roll your eyes on me?“

“Don’t you have any other interns to torture?“

“Didn’t you already have figured who am I around here? Of course I do…” he scoffed slightly, as he turned the tap off and looked at her. “I just like to torture _you_ the most.“ he added, cocking his eyebrow and stepping closer towards her. “And I’m pretty sure you just had your first scrubbing in thanks to me, so I think I deserve that little treat.“

Mark caught her sniffing at the word _treat,_ but she ducked her head down, so it wouldn’t look too obvious. She clearly had no idea with who she was dealing with.

“Ohh, so you’re finding a pleasure in torturing interns…”

Referring to what he just said, she quickly corrected herself in a sarcastic voice. “Oh no, wait, my mistake. You’re finding a pleasure in torturing _me_ in particular.“

“Not my number one thing in which I find pleasure…” Mark smirked, his eyes darkening, “but yeah, it’s definitely in top five.“

Nodding in understanding what _that number one_ was, Lexie took a step back, for a moment unable to speak. The silence in the room lasted for about a minute. But it wasn’t an awkward one.

Mark intensively watched as she took a towel to dry her hands.

But his eyes weren’t focused on that. He waited for her to turn around towards him again, and when she did so, his eyes immediately found her face. Her brown doe eyes lined with mascara, already blushed cheeks, glossy lips...

And just like she sensed his attention, her tongue darted out to wet her lips nervously. Wrong move…

She felt like he waited for her to say something. To do something. To just break the silence.

“I kind of… wish I got dumped for some slutty blonde.” she finally broke the quiet minute, but regretted the second after those words left her mouth. This definitely was not the right time, not the right place, and especially not the right person, for those damned words. But it was too late. It always was.

“What?” he frowned at her in confusion.

She thought about not opening her mouth again. Just keeping it shut. No more words that could bury her any deeper than she already was. But a part of her, a small prideful part of her, needed her to explain herself. To give him an explanation. To give _herself_ an explanation. Why it was so hard to let go of everything. What was the actual reason for her feeling so lost and so small. Almost invisible.

“It would be easier... I wish he met someone else, and fell in love with her and then left me… because of her. Because of someone else. But he didn’t. He left me because of me. Because he felt like I was disappearing… like he couldn’t see me clearly anymore…” Lexie’s gaze fell down at the sudden realization. _And I started believing that myself._

She bit her tongue before adding, “I wish he didn’t leave me because of me… Even for some slutty blonde.“ Letting a soft chuckle at the end, her eyes went up to meet his. She gulped hard, preparing herself for another of his insulting comments, something that would make her regret saying all of that even more. Something that would make him regret for pushing her so badly, even if that was just a part of his mock game.

“Mhmm well... that got depressing pretty fast. I had a lot more fun mocking you, Grey...” Mark finally exclaimed after a few terribly long seconds of silence.

There was a tiny shade of anger in his voice.

Mark most certainly was angry. He was furious. He didn’t want this to turn into what she just turned it.

Just a couple of seconds before her pathetic declaration, his body was actually yelling at him to pull her in his arms and kiss her without hesitating. Intern or not, he wanted her before she showed up here as an _intern._

He just needed some kind of approval, from her face or body… anything. And when he caught her licking her lips, he thought he got it. He had been thinking about it from the moment she showed up, made his day by bringing him coffee, in that dress… while they were in the OR, when none of her accidental brushed weren’t getting away unnoticed, and now when he actually got the chance… she fucking ruined it. And with what? With a fucking break up story.

He didn’t get a chance to question himself would she even kiss him back… No, there was no question. He was sure she _would unquestionably_ kiss him back, and not much later she would end up on her back, in the bed in the nearest empty on-call room. No matter how unprofessionally that would be. It wasn’t like he had a reputation to save, and hers would definitely not be the first one that he ruined.

But of course, she had to ruin everything. A couple of hours before, before she showed up, he would give anything just to teleport himself to his apartment, so he could finally leave this day behind him, and now… he actually considered staying just a little longer because of her. Because of the chance to have her.

“I’m done for today. Can I trust you with a post-op?“ This time he was the one who cut another minute of silence off, his voice suddenly flat. Disappointed. 

“Yes, of course, Dr. Sloan. And thank you so much or letting me…“ But before Lexie could even finish her sentence Mark was out of the room. She pursed her lips and sharply breathed in.

…

Annoying ring of his phone woke him from a barely half-hour long nap. Without opening his eyes, still lying down on a couch in his office, Mark reached to grab a phone from a pocket of his coat. But before he could answer it, the sound was already gone.

He gritted out an expletive seeing an unanswered call was from Derek. Without wasting a second, he called him right back, as he lifted himself in a sitting position. It took only a few seconds before he heard a voice of his best friend. _Or former best friend?_ No. Best friend.

“Hey Mark.”

“Derek. Hi, what’s up?” he replied right away, secretly overjoyed. They haven’t talked in a while. After his visit to Seattle three months ago, and not so warm welcome that he got from Derek, from Addison as well, and from mostly whole hospital, he barely heard from Derek. And he knew him too well to figure that he didn’t call to talk about personal stuff. Not yet.

“I think I need your help... We need your help.” Derek started, heavily sighing. It could literally be heard in his voice that he swallowed a lot of pride to call him. “We have here one spinal tumor to remove. It’s just very complex to approach, and I want a person in whom I’m sure it could help me pull that off... so do you think you could squeeze me in for tomorrow. We could fly to New York in the morning… It’s the emergency…” Mark recognized Derek all professional mood even through the phone.

And he was right. Derek didn’t call to talk about them. “Mark, are you there?”

“Hello Derek. Yeah, I’m fine, thanks for asking. Yes, I’d like to catch up with you too, we didn’t talk in a while. No, I’m not mad at you for ignoring my calls...” Literally feeling how Derek rolled his eyes in annoyance, Mark continued grinning, “Oh and yeah, I can help with your little tumor if you’re so desperate for me. And who are exactly are we? You and the tumor?”

“Yeah, right.” It looked like Derek chose to ignore everything Mark said before. “Me and resident that worked on the case with me. And I am not desperate for you. I just think I need one of the best plastic surgeons in the country, and I happen to personally know one. But if you don’t have time, it’s okay, I can call someone else. You don’t have to worry.”

Suddenly afraid that Derek would hang up, he quickly retorted, “I’ll be happy to help. Because I am the best plastic surgeon, not one of...”

“Great. It’s settled then.” Derek noted. Mark could hear a slight happiness in his voice now, and he prayed that wasn’t just because he agreed to help with a surgery, but because they could meet tomorrow as well. 

“One more thing. I’m just curious. Resident that worked on the case with you? Meredith Grey?”

 _Grey._ He forgot that she was a Grey too.

“There’s no reason for you to be curious about it, but yes, she’s coming with me to New York.” That thread of happiness in Derek’s voice disappeared.

“Oh God, relax, I’m just asking…” Mark sighed, regretting his question.

“And I’m just saying… there’s no reason for you to be curious.” Derek was consistent. Expectedly.

“I’ll do my best to welcome you two tomorrow then.”

“See you tomorrow. And… thank you.”

Mark’s lips curved into a smile at those words. It felt good hearing some nice words from him. Finally. “You’re welcome.”

Well, _that_ was definitely unexpected. His _kind of_ best friend and his girlfriend, will pay him a visit… Tomorrow. Happy to see Derek again, and not so happy… for now having an obligation to reschedule all of his surgeries planned for tomorrow, Mark laid down again in a desperate attempt to continue his nap. For just a minute, before his eyes shot wide open. Someone was at the door.

“Oh God…” _Can’t a person get some damn rest in here?_ “What is it now?” he shouted angrily.

“I’m so sorry Dr. Sloan. It’s just... I need you to sign this.”

Seeing Lexie Grey slowly peering through the door with some charts, he felt like maybe he had been too harsh. It’s been a few days since he let her scrub in on his surgery. After that, he felt like she was avoiding him. Not a surprise, considering everything she babbled out on him last time. But he wasn’t happy about that fact. He didn’t want her to avoid him. There was a certain level of tiredness and lack of comfort that reflected on her face, and that was probably what made him ask, “So... is being a surgeon everything you dreamt of?“

Gulping hard in an attempt to make herself believe in what she was about to say and trying to look as confident and careless as she possibly could, Lexie answered as she approached him. “I have no regrets.“

“Yet.“ Mark stated, getting up and taking charts from her hands.

“So _you_ do have regrets?“

Raising his eyebrows in disbelief at her bravery to actually ask that, but completely ignoring her curiosity, he gave her back signed charts, adding one more file from his table. “This is my schedule for tomorrow. I need you to squeeze in one more thing, put off everything that’s not urgent, and please put some sense into it. I mean, don’t make it too... _preoccupied._ Rewrite it on a board as well.“

“And what exactly?“

“Spinal tumor removal. My friend from Seattle is coming tomorrow morning for an emergency case. I guess you can join in if you manage to put everything well.“

“Got it.“ she nodded, suddenly feeling kind of important. “Also… I wanted to say I’m sorry about the other day. For rambling some stuff that had _nothing_ to do with you, that was really out of line, and...“

“I can see you very clearly.“

His words didn’t make any sense. Not in the slightest. She absolutely had no idea what the hell he was saying. _I see you? Yeah, I’m standing right in front of you..._

“What?“ Lexie breathed out, trying somehow to puzzle those words in her head.

“You’re not disappearing. Stop acting like you do.“ That kind of reassuring, heartening tone in his voice she never even thought existed, let alone that he would use it to say something to her. Maybe he didn’t have that much of a problem with interns after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, your comments are always welcome... I'll try my best to post chapter 4 as soon as possible. I hope you enjoyed this one...

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be happy to hear your thoughts. It's pretty fluffy for now, but things are about to heat up.


End file.
